The Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin has supported mobile money vendors in his constituency with an amount of One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH100,000.00) as seed money to help them grow their businesses.
In addressing the members of the association and the general public, the MP expressed his joy for the occasion.
He said “we can only develop our country if the entrepreneurship base is fortified and the private sector given the needed support”. He said we hear people yearning to do business while lacking the capital. According to the MP, cost of capital is high with it’s associated high interest rates. He said this is actually putting a lot of people off. He was however quick to indicate that, many people also gets the capital but lack the decipline to manage it and for that matter lose their business. He therefore pleaded with the members of the association to ensure they exhibit the needed discipline. He stressed the point that this is a unique opportunity for the association and should not let him down.
The MP said the financial support for the association was not based on partisan issues as he took this initiative wholeheartedly without looking at political affiliations of members of the association.
He stated that he was the first entrepreneur to be a member of Paliament in this fourth republican dispensation.
He added that he wants to prove to the people who felt he was too young to become an MP wrong by supporting the private sector base of Effutu.
According to him “if we don’t get the base of the informal sector of the Winneba economy right by giving the private sector the needed support ,we will have nothing and crime rate will go high and there will equally be unemployment According to him in today’s Winneba, a lot of people want to be employed but the government cannot employ everybody. He therefore said there is the need to encourage those in the private sector to make their own capital to be running their own business and this is what he stands for and desire of as that is what the NPP administration also stands for.
On UEW issues, the honourable member of Parliament of Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin said sometimes people don’t understand him and ask why he interferes in the matters of the University of Education, Winneba.
To let peope understand certain things, he pointed out that he will not be blackmailed with political or election threats by some people who don’t really understand what all the issue is about to talk of him losing his seat if he has to be honest and be concerned about the plights of people and said
“I will prefer to let the people of Effutu develop and lose election than win and keep them in poverty.”
He sighted several schools in the advanced countries where Universities are situated and has been beneficial to the communities. He cited examples of that of Oxford and Birmingham universities and said
“if you go to the United kingdom, Oxford is a University town.That is a form of tourism for the community. It is their economy and their everything and hold it in high esteem”. Most importantly is the fact that there is a relationship between the community and the University.”
In the case of Birmingham University were he also studied, he said it is just a small town but because of the University, there is a new economy in Birmingham. He therefore said when he is talking about such issues, he talks out of experience and with passion.
He reiterated that “If we have a University with a lot of resources and you cannot sit with the community and secure the local content policy, where young entrepreneurs in Winneba will reserve thirty percent (30%) of our procurement for Winneba residence, what will be the benefit of the university to the community?
He added that Meanwhile this same people in high authorities within the University bring their family members and come and push them through and employ them to benefit their own pockets depriving people who really qualifies.
He said he will not sit down and look unconcerned with this injustice happening within the University community. He added that he isnt perturbed about the many threats issued but will not keep quite today or tomorrow until the right things are done.
The MP in addition said, that, leadership is not about being quite, he said leadership is about being courageous and moving with your conviction. “I will prefer to do it in a manner that will benefit the people of Effutu. ”
He said today if it won’t be appreciated, posterity will honour him. He therefore called on those in charge of the University to cooperate with them. According to him, they love and appreciate them.They want to have a relationship with them but doesn’t want to be treated as riff ruffs. He underscored the importance to grow Winneba together and assured that Atakyedo will soon see development since some investors have agreed to bring investments there.
He told those who are saying Effutu needs factories to note that we are starting with the informal sector once the informal sector is growing and the real estates developers are here, the formal sector will also grow and the big investors will come automatically.
The MP affirmed his believe in the Effutu dream and said he believes it will happen.
Communications Office
Effutu NPP
Winneba
